Crime

A man was arrested for burglary on Saturday, April 27th after posing as an Vivant alarm salesman to enter homes.

Ryan Lee Schmidt, 24, was arrested after Moses Lake residents complained about his pushy and aggressive efforts to get into their homes while trying to sell them an alarm system. Schmidt was already wanted for investigation of a residential burglary the previous day. He is suspected of stealing medication after gaining access to the home.

Schmidt had been an employee of Vivant, but was fired on Friday, April 26th. He was wearing a gray polo shirt with the orange Vivant logo and was carrying a Vivant I.D. card.

Police say that any homeowners who think they may have let Schmidt into their home recently should check for stolen items. If you think you may have been a victim you should contact law enforcement through the non-emergency number (509) 762-1160.

The Grant County Sheriff’s Office continues its fight against property crimes, and yesterday dealt a blow to an alleged major player in the local theft trade.

Deputies on Mar. 14 served a property search warrant at 13290 Road M.5-Northwest in rural Quincy. The warrant stemmed from the investigation of several thefts.

On the property, Deputies found a large amount of stolen goods, including a truck-mounted fuel tank, electric fuel pump, 4000-watt Honda generator, laser surveying tools, four railroad crossing batteries, an oxy-acetylene torch, Suzuki ATV, chop saw and most of a stolen GMC pickup truck. Thus far, around $20,000 in stolen property has been recovered.

One of the suspects in this case, Daniel Amaya, 39 of Ephrata, was arrested the day before on other Grant County warrants and is lodged in the Grant County Jail. He faces charges connected to the stolen property.

Two firearms were also found, and since Amaya is a convicted felon and not allowed to possess guns, they, too, were seized.

The investigation is continuing and more property is likely to be recovered. Deputies are also looking for Amaya’s crime associates.

At around 4:00am today, Warden Police Department reported a 19-year-old Othello man was treated for a small caliber single gunshot wound to his leg.

The man claimed members from a local street gang were suspects in the shooting and believed he was a victim of gang violence. The man also told investigators he was shot in the city limits of Warden but that information has not been confirmed.

Investigators are actively pursuing all leads and ask if anyone has information about this incident to contact the Warden Police Department at 349-2232.

It can happen to anyone. Spoofers have targeted two well-respected consumer protection agencies in an attempt to harm the very people those agencies protect.

In mid-January, the Federal Trade Commission warned people that scammers had sent e-mail messages that appeared to be from the FTC to thousands of businesses claiming that people had complained about them. The email included a link or attachment to a document including more information. The goal? Entice frazzled business owners to click on the link or attachment then dump malware on their computer.

“Deputies are searching for a white and black 2010 Kenworth box truck with Oregon license plates YARK286,” a news release from the Grant County Sheriff's Office said. “The truck bears Reser's company logos on the sides.”

The truck was stolen sometime between 4 p.m. Feb. 28 and 6 a.m. on March 1 from the 2700 block of Road O-Northwest outside of the city of Moses Lake.

This is the second time this truck has been reported stolen.

“Anyone who knows the whereabouts of this truck or is aware of any suspicious person selling Reser's products should call the Grant County Sheriff's Office at (509) 762-1160, or send information to crimetips@co.grant.wa.us,” the news release said. “Tipsters can remain anonymous.”

The Grant County Sheriff's Office announced Thursday that two men are in custody on cocaine charges after Grant County's Interagency Narcotics Enforcement Team severed search warrants on a home in Moses Lake.

Alexander Zambrano, 30, is charged with possession of cocaine with intent to deliver in a school zone and his 21-year-old brother Julio was arrested for possession of cocaine.

Both are citizens of Mexico and not legally living in the United States, according to a press release from the sheriff's office.

INET detectives discovered nearly an ounce of cocaine, a scale and undercover buy-money when they served the search warrants.

An Othello man is accused of selling cocaine in Grant County as a result of a six-month undercover investigation.

Erphen Sindhu Khan, 36, was arrested Wednesday, Feb. 6 by the Moses Lake Regional Tactical Response Team in the parking lot of the Moses Lake Home Depot, according to a news release from the Grant County Sheriff's office.

The Grant County Interagency Narcotics Enforcement Team executed the arrest as search warrants were authorized for Khan's vehicle and Othello home, where drugs and paraphernalia were found.

INET has officers from the Grant County Sheriff's Office, Quincy Police Department, Moses Lake Police Department and the Washington State Patrol.

“The diligence of the INET detectives resulted in this cocaine bust,” Grant County Sheriff Tom Jones said. “This case serves as an example that INET and other partnering agencies are a strong force targeting those who deal in illegal drugs.”